YU-GI-OH: Scars Of Time:
by Anomalous123
Summary: Yami, a teen who just wants to step out of his cousin's shadow. Malik, a boy from a broken home. And Bakura, a young man struggling to find a reason to live in this world. Can three items change all that? Will Yami find his own identity? Will Malik finally stand up to his abusive family? And will Bakura find love after being abandoned to live life on his own? Pairings:YXH,KXJ. AU.
1. Chapter 1:

**Notes:**

**Edit: 08/07/2019- Sorry for any misspellings or incorrect grammar, I have dyslexia and would miss some here and there. If you guys find anything, don't hesitate to mention it, so I can correct it. **

**Good news: I have already started on Chapter 2, so expect that to be up in a week or so.**

Hello everyone, and welcome to my new story. I will continue this depending on how well this is received. The following things are the problems I have and my issues alone. I don't want people to get offended. If you don't like the changes, don't read. It's that simple. I am not forcing anyone, this is just a fun little story for me and I want you guys to enjoy it too. Anyway, on with the changes:

Yami will be the one to solve the millennium puzzle. This way the most changes to the plot can occur, which was what I was going for. Yugi will have his own body as I can't imagine Yugi pulling off a Season 0 (Yami style) stunt. However, he will be still dependent on Yami's energy to sustain it. He will also be restricted on the radius he can travel from Yami and the puzzle.

I will keep this short because, honestly, I don't like Miho from Season 0. I found her to be a bit spoilt and always taking advantage of Tristan's crush on her. I'm sorry Miho fans, but that's how I perceive her and she will not be making an appearance in any of my fics.

Neither is Tea, for that matter. I know the fanbase is divided over this character, and I, for one, am not too keen on her. I mean the potential for her character was shunned, reducing her to an information dump and cheerleader for Yugi and Joey. So, for personal reasons, I will not be putting her in my story. Please don't flame me or get offended, I just don't think I can give her the justice her character deserves.

On another note, Tristan is going to get a massive character upgrade. I was so upset when he was cast to the side as a 'supportive character' in the show. There is not a lot of information on Tristan and his family, so I have a lot of 'leeway' in terms of his character development.

It seems there are some other characters who are just shooed in for 'plot convenience', but these are the main ones I am going to address for this chapter. I just wanted to clear that up before people ask when Tea is going to appear.

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

The sound of a loud crash and then a curse jolted the old man awake. He blinked, head sways from side to side to locate the source of the noise. A frown was on his face, grey eyes wide in fearful trepidation.

"Marik, stay still. You're going to agitate your wound!" A familiar voice rang out in astounding patience. Recognition grew on the man's face as he threw the covers off and slipped out of bed. It was not the first time he had been woken up in the middle of the night, and most possibly not the last.

There was a yelp before another voice growled. "Get that… that sting-gy thing away from me!" There was a moment's pause and then, "OW! What the hell, Bakura!"

There was a growl. "It's called Antiseptic, you imbecile. And your gonna need it if you don't want that Bastard to find out about our nightly escapes." The voices grew louder as he crept down the stairs and down the hall to the living room. He made it just in time to see a blond boy wince, fingers digging into the cushions of the sofa he was sitting upon. He was being detained by an angry-looking white-haired teen.

The smallest of the three, who had tri-coloured hair, was bent in front of the blond's knee, dapping cotton wall on the long gash that went from his thigh to his knee. His first aid kit contents were sprawled across the room in a rushed attempt to find the things they needed. The old man stopped, frozen in the doorway.

"Damn, that guy got you good," the smallest one muttered. He lifted his eyes to glare at the blond. "I told you to be careful," he seethed in a cool tone, eyes darkening slightly.

A shiver ran up the white-haired boys spine and he frowned. Someone was watching them. In a moment, he released the blond- causing him to yelp in surprise as he fell back onto the cushions- and un-seethed a knife from his hidden pocket. He turned, launching at the old man before he stopped, seconds away from slicing his throat when he blinked in surprise.

"Old man," he acknowledged, coldly. There was a moment's pause where they stared, unblinking at each other before Bakura stepped back and relaxed. He could give the old-timer credit, he had not flinched throughout the ordeal. Just stood there with a disappointed glare.

"Grandpa!" The tri-coloured hair teen exclaimed, jumping to his feet and glancing warily between the two. "I'm sorry, we woke you up. We will try to be more careful next time." He bowed towards the slightly smaller man in apology as he sent a glare at the blond, who had brought his legs up and drew them up to his body.

The old man- commonly known as 'Grandpa'- crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Yami. This is not what I expected when I said you could use the shop as a retrieve. Although I gave you permission to bring your friends over, I did not allow you to turn my living room into a first-aid stop!" The tone made 'Yami' flinch.

Grandpa sighed. He walked over to the single armchair and sat down. Atemu- or Yami, as he preferred to be called- lived with his cousin, Kaiba Seto, who was the CEO of Kaiba Corporation. In the past few months, he had been kicked out of school because he was present at one of the stunts that his friends- Bakura and Marik- had pulled. He didn't have all the details, but he had heard it involved some poor girl who had been stalking Marik, laxatives and a lot of mess to clear up.

It was then that Kaiba had presented him a choice. Get a job or find a new school. The two troublemakers decided they had better things to do with their time than listening to 'pointless' lectures that would become 'redundant' in the future. Yami refused to deal with going through the experience of being the 'new kid', making him try and form new social bonds along with it being the middle of the year, and trying to get over his social awkwardness.

Good friends are hard to come by and it was, in his opinion, it was a miracle that he had one in the first place- let alone four (two from his last school, plus Marik and Bakura!) He didn't think he could go through such an experience again. It seemed that people only used his trust and friendship for personal gain. Whether it was to get to his cousin, use his title as 'Kaiba' or use him for money.

So, instead, he went with the first option.

He had managed to get a part-time job working as a General Assistant in the Domino Museum. Grandpa was delighted as both shared a fascination with Ancient Civilizations, especially ancient Egypt, and worked closely together to uncover the secrets every time an artefact was brought back from a dig site. Another thing they shared was a passion for games. They had spent hours learning the rules to new games and battling out in a competitive (although friendly) competition.

Yami had always been a frequent customer of the Kame Game Shop and had helped in-between his shifts. These factors sparked a friendship between the two as Yami had come to see the man as a grandfather figure while he treated the boy like he would a Grandson.

Yami and Kaiba tended to disagree a lot, it was easier for the young man to stay out of his cousin's way, which lead to Solomen offering a bedroom upstairs for when Yami was having a rough day and needed some space from the CEO. The room was rarely used anyway and it felt nice to have some company once in a while.

The game shop then became a hang out for his little group. Marik is very private with his home life, but, from what he could gather, it was not a happy one from the snippets of conversation he had listened to. He hoped that things will get better for the Egyptian sooner rather than later. The kid was a little jumpy and Bakura threatened anything that got within the immediate area of the blond boy without good reason.

His thoughts shifted to the last member of the trio. Although Solomen was aware Bakura stole on a regular basis, he felt sympathy towards the albino. That and Yami had assured him that nothing would ever go missing from his home or the shop. Bakura's mother had come down with an illness early in his lifetime and his father turned to criminal activities to get by. His parents were shot to death when Bakura was only five-years-old, due to a misunderstanding with his parents' 'employer'.

He was then placed in the care system until he reached the tender age of sixteen. The boy then has been placed in a shabby apartment that seemed to be falling at the seams. He stole to survive. Solomen couldn't find it in his heart to condemn the boy for his actions, even though he highly disapproved of what he was doing.

He had tried to help by providing him with the necessary equipment he needed for the apartment and offering food when the trio came over. He would have helped by giving him some money but knew the white-haired teen would decline all offers, saying that he didn't need his 'charity'. Deep down, the old man knew he was internally grateful for the help, even though he would never admit it.

Finding Malik and Bakura had been a gift as well as a curse. Even though they did get Yami in a lot of trouble, it was nice to see the young man lift himself from the depths of numbness that were other means than play or talking about games or researching past civilizations. It helped to have people around who were brutally honest in their opinion and were forward in their intentions. It may not have been the best of friendships, or the healthiest, but it worked.

The old man could see the unwavering trust and loyalty between the three, despite their threats to each other. He wasn't worried, the boundaries were clear. It was just a matter of overstepping them that would put the trespasser in real danger.

"We're sorry, Grandpa," Yami apologised once more, going back to his task. The old man looked up, glancing at them, but staying quiet for the moment. Marik glared at the short teen but surrendered his leg as another shot of pain went through it. Bakura snorted, muttering something like 'speak for yourself', although he couldn't hear properly as Yami started to speak once more. "We would have gone back to Bakura's place, but it's not very sanitary and I knew there's a medkit in the shop, so…" He trailed off.

Closing his eyes, he sighed. "This can't…" He paused before changing his mind. "It's fine, my boy. Just… don't make a habit of it." He was curious about what happened tonight, but knew to ask such a question will be met with lies (from Yami) and hostility (from Bakura and Marik.) A yawn escaped his lips before he could stop it.

"Go back to sleep, Old Man. We don't need you, right now," Bakura snorted dismissively, wondering why he had come down in the first place. He frowned mentally, concerned. It was not the first time they had hung out in the apartment above the shop at this time of night. The man looked tired and worn; it would do him no good to stay up at this hour. Especially the way he seemed to work himself to the point of injury and exhaustion trying to keep the shop running.

Normally, Bakura would not care for a person who flirted with death on a daily basis, but if he died, Yami would be depressed, and he did not want to deal with a mourning teenager for the next, however many months. He had other problems to attend to.

"Oh, no… I'm fine," he tried to protest, but let out another yawn. In minutes, Yami was on his feet and was already helping him up. Solomen blinked tiredly, allowing the teen to haul him up and help him into the hallway.

Bakura huffed and crossed his arms, glancing after them.

"Oi!," He turned, then ducked just in time for the object to sail harmlessly over his head. The TV remote hurled over his head and smashed into the wall. The back popped out and the two pieces clattered to the floor. He scowled at the culprit, who chuckled. "Hurry and bandage me up, before goody two shoes gets back!" Marik demanded.

Bakura snorted with a roll of his eyes before complying. He just wants to go home and sleep. This night had just been a complete disaster. Once he was done, he tied it off and got to his feet. "Let's go," he growled, tipping his head slightly to mention to the door. "Can you walk?"

A shrug. "Donno."

"Well, learn to. I am not carrying your sorry ass," Bakura huffed. Marik rolled his eyes, a manic grin on his face. He saw Bakura shiver slightly.

The last time Bakura carried him, he was concussed and nearly kissed the half-brit. Although he didn't know exactly what he had said, it managed to piss Bakura off. Having enough, the thief had dropped him and gave him a good smack upside the head. He couldn't recall what happened next, but Yami seemed exhausted by the time they had made it back to the game shop. Bakura didn't come back that night.

He was brought out of his thoughts as the blond crashed to the floor. The groan of pain that came next made him sigh. Marik sat up, furiously grumbling to himself. He suppressed his snort of laughter as he glanced around. His eyes landed on the TV that was silently running through advertisements, he snickered at the mental image coming to his mind when a certain promotion came on. It gave him an idea.

Marik looked up to Bakura, eyes expectant. The shorter boy snapped his gaze back towards him and smirked. Marik shrank back a little. A bad feeling was pooling in his stomach.

* * *

Marik was unsure whether to laugh or scream. The sound that came out was a yelp as Bakura broke into a run, causing the shopping cart to launch forward. Before exiting the game shop, Bakura had grabbed one of the carts from the back room and dumped a protesting Marik within. It was small (commonly used by Motou-san to transport deliveries to and from the shop,) but deep, causing Marik to have to curl his body to fit somewhat comfortably within. Bakura had not given him time to settle before they were out of the shop.

The boy prayed silently to any GODS that may be listening that they don't run into any curbs or potholes on their way to the white-haired teen's apartment. He tensed as it wobbled slightly and he struck his arm out to hit the steerer. A chuckle was heard behind him as his fist met air.

Suddenly, a car came out of seemingly nowhere, blinding the two boys with its headlights. Marik screamed and threw himself to the side to get out of the way. His side only hit metal, causing it to sting in pain. Startled, Bakura lost his footing and fell forward. The added weight to the back of the cart caused it to topple and the two went spraying across the hard concrete.

A screeching noise sounded over the boys' groans as it swerved slightly to the side and slowed to a stop. They stared at it with wide eyes, at how close the vehicle actually was. Bakura sprang up, jumping away from the thing that almost crushed them. His hand shot out to Marik and he dragged the boy backwards and towards him, eyes still trained on the black limo.

Without warning, a boy around their age clambered out, blue eyes narrowed and glaring daggers at them. His expression changed from a frown to a sneer. "Where's Yami," he asked, always straight to the point. A hint of disgust in his voice as he addressed his former classmates.

Bakura straightened, feeling the challenge of wits the brunet presented, but it was Marik who spoke. "What? No hello? Are you okays? Do you need a ride?! I mean, you almost ran us over, you asshole and broke our only mode of transportation." He quipped, gesturing to the now bent trolly (Motou-san was going to make them pay for it when he found out.) Not that he wanted Kaiba to be so 'generous'. It would only come back to bite him in the butt disguised as 'favours'.

"Don't waste your breath, Marik. Kaiba's too 'high and mighty' to understand such things as 'empathy'. He has the social skills of a robot," Bakura growled, hands clenched into fists at his side.

The teen smirks when he sees the taller male's eye twitched in annoyance It was more towards Bakura ignoring his question than the insult, but … small victories and all of that. He was not about to tell him where Yami was if only to make him mad. The man was so used to having people obeying him, it was nice to see the CEO not get his way.

Kaiba growled. "I do not have time for your childish games." Yami was his responsibility, just like Mokuba- his little brother- was. No matter how many times they butted heads, they were still family and the Kaiba family looked out for their own. Especially with how few there are left to live up to their reputation. "I'll ask again, where is Atemu," he growled, dropping the preferred name. He hated to ask the same question twice, and he had no patience in dealing with such immature brats.

"Park. He's finally had enough of your whining and thought living as a hobo is better than being in your company." Bakura half-lied, crossing his arms over his chest. Marik cackled madly at his remark, earning a snort out of the boy standing beside him. The 'death glare' darkened. For a few moments, he stood there, studying the pair before he turned and clambered back into his car.

Bakura felt the roar of the engine and quickly scooped up his companion. Marik smirked, relieved, although it was short-lived as he was dumped on a bench located on the sidewalk while Bakura flipped the retreating limo off. To his dismay, it still travelled towards the game shop and not the other way to the park as he hoped.

"Dick," Marik mumbled. He rested his head back, only to blink. Light from the streetlamp blinded him temporarily and he snapped his head back down to land on the semi-darkness of the street, trying to will the black spots away. It didn't do much to help. A nudge was against his shoulder. He looked up, blearily, at his friend.

"Let's go," Bakura huffed. He tilted his head slightly to indicate the direction towards his apartment.

Purple eyes rolled, but he got to his feet, throwing an arm out for support. He was glad when it was willingly provided and the two made their slow trek towards their destination.

* * *

Typical, Yami thought absently as he ascended the stairs to find the living room empty. Despite his sour thoughts, he found himself not caring. As long as they made it to where they were going without stirring up trouble, it was OKAY in his books. And with Marik injured, he could be positive that the two would be less likely to detour.

With a huff, he shuffled into the room and proceeded to pack away the first-aid supplies. Once he was done, he went across the hallway to the kitchen, pausing in the doorway to glance around the room. The fridge was wedged open, and one of the knives were missing from their place on the block next to it.

Sighing, he guided a hand through his hair before he took stock of the fridge to see all the ham, butter, some leftover rice dish, and the cheese missing (he had gone shopping about half-a-day ago, so he knew what he had brought for Grandpa.) Shaking his head, he made a mental note to visit that same-store to replenish the missing stock before he shut the fridge. His gaze drifted over to the sink.

Halfway through making a cup of tea, he heard the sound of an engine cut through the wailing of the kettle. Moving to the window, he grimaced slightly. He hoped it wasn't Kaiba. After a full day of working, then 'babysitting' Marik and Bakura at the Arcade, followed by a run-in with a rival gang, he had no patience left for his cousin. It was past midnight and all he wanted to do was sleep until his morning shift at 9:00 AM.

To his surprise, the car was a Blue Lexus. The door open and a blond-haired teen climbed out of the driver's seat. Sensing eyes upon him, his head snapped up and the man waved to Yami through the window. Pushing away, the tri-coloured teen sighed before going to the hallway. He had to let a certain friend in.

* * *

Joey smirked as the door was yanked open to reveal his former classmate. Tired crimson eyes glanced back, although the smaller boy's posture was tall and proud as always. "Hey, Yams!" He greeted, swiping a hand around the other teen's neck and pulling him out the door. Yami yelped, unprepared from the action. "Hadn't heard from ya in a while. How's ya doing? Heard money bags were lookin' for ya, so I thought I'd come and whisk ya away for a romantic evening! I mean the stars are bright, Kaiba's pissed, nothing's open and I am the last person's house he'll want to check. What do ya say?"

The tri-coloured hair boy soon recovered and blinked up at the honey-eyed teen. A laugh bubbled in his throat and he shook his head. He had missed his friend's sense of humour, but with the exams at school quickly approaching- and with Yami's busy schedule- it had been hard to find time to see each other. "Alright," he announced loudly, hand going to his pocket to fish out the spare keys given to him by Jii-chan. "I just need to close up again and clean the kitchen- I'll be back in a minute." He told him before disappearing into the shop again.

Joey smiled after him before following him, locking his car with his keys over his shoulder. "Just be quick, yeah?" He yelled and got a muffled confirmation from the stairwell. He grinned.

**TBC:**


	2. Chapter 2:

Notes:

Edited: 02/08/2019- This is my seventh attempt at editing this chapter as my nephew pressed the back button when I was nearly finished with it. My sister was dying of laughter. I was not.

Okay, I cannot do this anymore! My internet connection, or lack thereof, has made me cry, so please excuse this un-edited chapter. I tried... And failed. You've won this time, laptop!

**I would like to start by apologizing for any future late chapters I may post. I would recommend for you guys to follow this story for more accurate updates. I am ill at the moment, and I am not sure when the next chapter will be ready to post.**

**I appreciate your reviews, and am glad that people have taken an interest in this story- I will try my best to hold it. If anyone has any suggestions on which direction this story should take, please let me know.**

**Anyway, enough about me, let's get on with the story! I hope you guys are interested in how Joey met Yami, Kaiba, Marik, and Bakura. This is longer than I originally expected, but I wanted to set out the basis of Joey's friendship with various characters. For this reason, I am counting it as a bonus chapter in my update schedule.**

**I mean no disrespect, nor want people to get the impression that I am generalizing for Yami's, Marik, and Bakura's conditions. I respect all kinds of people, especially those dealing with mental and physical conditions. I will also be using examples I have experienced with either myself or people I have worked with to make this feel as realistic as possible.**

**Next chapter will be a carry on from Chapter 1! **

**This has also not been BETA-ED, so I apologise for all spelling and grammar mistakes. **

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

Joey remembered when he had first met Yami. He remembered the tri-coloured teen being so quiet, so withdrawn within himself. The boy would sit, alone, in the courtyard during break and lunchtimes, listening to music while he sketched. Many times, fan-girls and other brave students would approach him in one way or another, although the guy would either ignore them or introduced them to... the more colourful vocabulary he had learnt over the years.

He seemed most hostile towards the female population, Joey had noticed, as they flirted and lorded over him like some untouchable god. It baffled and ticked Joey off to no end. He was jealous and couldn't fathom why the other male would ignore such attention that was given so freely. He felt put off by the boy's behaviour. Yami was a man after all; anyone else would kill to be in that position! Although, the guy didn't seem interested.

In class, he was quiet and seemed to be a million miles away. His grades were average, and he tended to avoid group activities/events like the plague. He kept his interactions with anyone else to a minimum, preferring to ask questions to the teacher outside of class time. Admittedly, this troubled Joey slightly. It was strange for a teenager to act in such a way that it made him wonder if something was troubling him.

* * *

Soon, he had enough of just watching the young man stumble through a fortnight of solitude. He decided to intercept the teen before he could escape out of the door after a history class. The guy seemed annoyed with the interruption to his normal schedule and had promptly told the blond to move out of his way.

When he refused, Yami had looked up, surprised and had shifted uncomfortably. Joey could tell the teen didn't know how to proceed. It was as if the simple act of denying the teens request had put Yami at a loss. Gaining the upper hand, Joey had demanded an explanation for his behaviour, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He was surprised by the result.

It was then he had realized that the poor guy was shaking. Before he could react, however, Yami had lashed out and punched the blond teen in the stomach. Joey fell to the ground due to the impact. Immediately, the shorter teen had taken a step back, splattering warnings that the other teen 'should have stayed away' and that he 'gotten too close.'

The teacher rushed over and drag Yami to the other side of the classroom. Next, the authority figure had walked back over and help Joey up, asking him if he was alright. It was fruitless; Joey wasn't paying attention to him.

Joey watched as Yami paced back and forth by the window, muttering to himself. He dug a hand into the holster on his belt and fished out a deck of cards to shuffle. He did so with expert ease. The sound of the teacher's concerned voice brought him back. The older man briefly explained that Yami simply did not like being touched- or, crowded around- and that it was best to leave him alone. This done, he was sent to the infirmary to seek medical attention.

Later that day, a tall teen had worked into their classroom, trench coat flowing. Behind him was a black-haired child, who speed-walked to keep up with the taller male's longer strides. Upon seeing them, the teacher assigned them to read a chapter of a book from their Japanese literature class before he turned to the taller man, clearly stressed and annoyed by their appearance.

Joey had no idea what happened next as Yami swiftly stood from his chair, scooped up his bag and made a clean exit as the three abruptly left. Yami, nor the two strangers, came back that day.

* * *

The next time he saw Yami was after the weekend (it was Thursday when he had left.) Unfortunately, he didn't come alone. The man in the trench coat was back, and Yami looked outright agitated. 'Mysterious Man', as Joey had dubbed him by then, had introduced himself as Seto Kaiba and that he would be joining the class.

To Joey's misfortune, it quickly became clear to him that Kaiba instantly had it out for him if he went by the glares he was receiving from the CEO, who sat two of rows behind him. Joey sat, uncomfortable for the rest of the class, hoping that the break after would give him time to calm down before he got annoyed. His normally limited patience for the class had dropped to an all-time low.

* * *

When break time rolled around, Joey found himself shoved up against the lockers as the man had warned him to stay away from his cousin, or he would regret it. The tone was cold and had a dangerous edge to it. When he was finished, the blond dropped, not even bothering to catch himself in his shock. The poor boy was confused until he saw Kaiba stride down the hall, grabbed a wide-eyed Yami by the wrist and yanked him down the corridor. The teen was struggling all the way out of the doors.

* * *

Lunchtime came quicker than he had expected. He had been heading towards the bathroom when he bumped into Yami. They both had fallen to the ground, harshly, by the impact. Joey, fearing the teen's reaction, had jumped to his feet as soon as he could, bowling hurriedly in apology. Although, it was a useless gesture.

The teen looked annoyed and glanced back down the corridor, distracted. Joey watched as Yami shakes his head, swallowed, then warned the Joey to turn and tail before Kaiba found them. The use of 'we' in the sentence startled the blond, but he took the advice and bolted it back the way he came. To his befuddlement, Yami followed him.

* * *

Once they had found refuge in the cafeteria (Yami shot down his idea of going to the rarely-used library, Kaiba was a 'nerd', they had gone to the one place Kaiba was thought was beneath him,) the two laughed. Hands resting on their knees, they turned their heads to smirk at each other before the pair straightened up to join the food line.

Yami had then strangely commented that he 'loved running, especially from Kaiba.' Then proceeded to complain about stuck up the rich boy was. Next, he had told Joey how he couldn't wait until the day he would be able to save up enough money to move out.

Joey smiled, amused, as he made a mental note about how open the boy was about the subject; it was the most he had heard the boy talk since he had known him. He couldn't help but sympathise with the other teen. He had only met Kaiba for the equivalent of a few hours, now, and he seemed dead-set on making his life miserable. The mere thought of someone being forced to put up with him for most of their life was horrifying, to say the least.

Soon, the conversation had turned dry as the tri-coloured haired teen ran out of things to say. Once they had sat down, the boy had glared at his dinner before he suddenly reached forward and flicked one of his pea's onto Joey's plate, commenting that 'now, the groups were even.' The strange look that Joey gave the boy was received with an eye-roll. Yami commented that 'he wouldn't understand' and, for once, the blond had to agree wholeheartedly. He didn't understand Yami's antics until much later.

At this time, a brown-haired boy bounced over and sat down next to Joey. Joey greeted his best friend, then introduced him to Yami. Tristan Taylor reached out to shake the boy's hand but halted by Joey. 'He doesn't like being touched,' the blond explained. Tristan nodded, understanding the situation, and then they moved the conversation onto a different topic before the matter could go any further.

The relief that overcame Yami made Joey smile as he dove into a conversation with Tristan about the goings-on in school and how the brunet's dentist appointment was. Yami was content to listen to them talk. Well, until the mention of a duel monsters tournament a business partner of his cousin came up.

Suddenly, Yami seemed to snap out of his awkward (to Joey and Tristan) silence and took over the majority of the conversation. Upon request, he even dished out the cards and started to showing off each of his cards as one would do with a new car. To the two teens' surprise, and delight, Yami admitted that he had already attended a few tournaments and stated knew the game mechanics as if it was the back of his hand.

Joey wouldn't have admitted it, but that was the most interesting lunchtimes he had experienced in a very long while. He had been interested in learning the game after a few glimpses of advertisements on TV, although he was unsure of how to play. As it happens, Yami was an excellent teacher in strategy and how the game worked. Joey listened intently to every word, soaking in all the information he could.

Tristan was less interested in the game itself, although he was intrigued by the design of each duel monster. He found them interesting to gaze upon and wondered what they would look like in 3D. Another thing he found fascinating was the effect each one possessed. It became clear to him that some monsters were more powerful than they appeared to be. He appreciated the strength hidden behind some of the 'weaker' monsters that resided within Yami's deck.

* * *

For the next few weeks, the trio would get together in their spare time during the school day and the weekend. Joey had started to practice his duelist skills against Yami, who would wipe the floor with him every time they played. Yami respected the boy's resilience. It was nice to find someone that was not Kaiba, who never backed down from a challenge, no matter what the circumstances.

During these meetings, the pair noticed that Yami continued to display some 'personality quirks,' that seemed to confuse both of his new friends. Despite the strangeness that seemed to occur around Yami, the trio became fast friends. It helped when the teacher noticed their friendship brewing and arranged a meeting with the two boys to go over what to do when Yami was acting … well, like Yami. The boys couldn't thank her enough as the explanation behind his actions.

At times, the teen would go quiet, using noises instead of words to communicate, he would go off on his own sometimes for some 'quiet time', he disliked answering his phone- preferring to text- and was lost for words outside things that don't interest him.

Yami was borderline Autistic and, after looking up the condition online, most things suddenly started to make sense. He didn't fully understand how the boy's brain worked, although the brief insight into the condition was enlightening. From this, they also learnt when to get close to the boy and when to give him some space. Yami would listen to music or leave the room when it got crowded or someone was being too loud. He was mostly self-sufficient with his needs, but it was nice to have that support from his friends to fall back on.

* * *

While the trio hung out, Kaiba continued to glare in their direction, seething quietly as he did his own thing. He would sometimes turn up, unannounced and demand Yami to return. Other times, he would send Mokuba, who took pity on them and made up an excuse so he could give the teens a few more minutes. The behaviour annoyed the blond to no end. It didn't take a while until someone snapped. Kaiba suspected it to be Joey, however, he was amused when he got out on a Friday afternoon to see Yami by the limo that came to pick them up, fuming.

Joey hadn't heard what they had said (the two had whispered furiously to each other and he had hung back,) but he knew saw them get in the vehicle and drive off, leaving Joey and Tristan to their own devices.

* * *

The next day, Yami had strode into the classroom, looked smug without his cousin trailing behind as usual.

He didn't find out until later that the two Kaibas had duelled and that Yami had come out on top. The stakes of the duel where that; if Kaiba won- Yami would be home-schooled as the CEO didn't think it was wise for the teen to hang around such 'vermin' as he did. Yami's stake was that if he won, Kaiba would either join another class or drop out. Kaiba had chosen to focus on his company.

Yami had told them that the only reason he had come was to 'examine the education system', check to see what kids are into these days for 'marketing purposes', and to speak to students to see how they wanted Duel Monsters to evolve as a game. Tristan had mentioned his views about seeing a 3D module of such characters, and Kaiba admitted was on board with the idea as he had thought up similar concepts in the past.

His best friend had been stunned at the news and was excited for future developments within Kaiba Corporation. Even if he disliked the CEO, he kind of respected that he listened to others opinions despite his negative attitude.

Joey hated how the other male had added that it was Kaiba's idea in the first place when Tristan should have at least some credit. Knowing that jerk, it was highly unlikely that he would share any of the fame with another person.

* * *

After that, things had drifted to a state of normalcy. Yami had shown them a favourite shop of his; the Kame Game shop during one a Saturday afternoon after school. It was a small family run business, and the owner was a game enthusiast, who occasionally went on archaeological digs. Yami had helped keep the business running while 'Grandpa'- as he insisted they called him- was on said digs or just in need a break.

During this time, they had learnt that Yami carried around a golden box that contained something called the Millennium Puzzle- that was given to him by the old man for his thirteenth birthday. Even now, he was still trying to solve the thing regardless of the impossibility of such a task. Joey couldn't help but admire the persistence Yami displayed when dealing with it. Tristan couldn't believe his new friend had wasted so much time working on something that was only half done at the time.

According to Solomen, everyone who had tried to solve the thing had either ended up insane or dead. Joey was sure it was just a myth made up to give the Egyptian Artefact more hype and to provide hardcore gamers around the world more of a challenge. The story had intrigued Yami, although he hadn't accounted for any problems from the artefact that was any more threatening than a frustration headache.

When he had asked Yami why he hadn't seen it before, he would say that his cousin had banned the thing at school, as when he was in the zone, it took a lot to get him to quit. After some thought, he could kind of see where the jerk was coming from. It took nothing less than an earthquake (or a good blow to the head) to force the boy to quit until a successful conclusion had been reached.

Due to it being a game shop, the old man had a wide selection of games; this included ones from ancient times and those made for the younger generation. Solomen was very welcome to show them each game thoroughly during their spare time. It was nice to find someone other than Yami to provide some competition to expand his experience and learn new strategies.

Despite it being 'family run', the only people he saw was the old man working in the shop or the apartment upstairs. Grandpa's children were travelling the world, following in their father/father-in-laws footsteps. It became the prime hangout for outside of class duelling and Joey had built his deck with expert help from both Grandpa and Yami.

Tristan had decided to help on occasion when the old man was away. He would come over in the morning to open the shop for a few hours before school while Yami got himself out of bed and then the two returned after to do a few more hours before relaxing. Tristan had liked getting the experience to put on his CV for when he was able to get a real job and it gave them time to get to know each other.

* * *

The next month went smoothly… that was until two hurricanes in the form of transfer students crashed through the school and into their classroom. The two seemed to leave multiple disasters in their wake. Every day, they would end up in detention to the point where teachers gave up as they piled up and the closest one they could give was months in advance. The head of the school was drifting to the point of outright expelling the bus, but, for some reason, never got around to it. They had asked their teacher about why this was happening, although all they ever got was the usual 'it's complicated.'

* * *

One day, Joey and Tristan were waiting for their newest friend to show up, only for Yami to remain a no-show. Not wanting to waste the day away from full of arcade games, they had gone inside to start without him. Joey, however, found himself missing the competition Yami brought, finding himself bored after awhile. Tristan, who was average at games in general, was never as good as his two friends and he knew it. Out of pity for the blond boy, he suggested they came back another day, which Joey quickly agreed.

As they were exiting the arcade to go home, Joey received a text from Yami, telling him to come to an alleyway that was off of a street just a few blocks away from where they where. When they arrived there, they found Yami, bleeding, although he didn't seem too bothered about it as he sat against the wall. Within his hands was a familiar deck of card that he was shuffling through absentmindedly. His eyes seemed unfocused, mind occupied.

It took a while for the teen to notice them in the mouth of the alleyway. He had paused in his shuffling to beckon them to him. He then started to tell them a summary of what happened while he was walking to meet up with the pair. It went something along the lines of this (according to what Joey remembered:)

_Yami had seen the new students surrounded by, what he had described as a gang, __and had run over to help them. It didn't take long to find out that the two seemed to be unharmed, although they were expecting some kind of scuffle. There were weapons on their persons and all members of the group were on guard._

_The transfer student was grilling them for answers on what they knew about a man that worked for the Egyptian government. In there, Yami swore he heard something about Marik's siblings, who had believed to have gone missing near the end of the beginning of that year from a local museum his sister worked at. Despite their efforts, the 'gang' didn't seem to know anything about it._

_That's when the white-haired one- Bakura, he supplied as an afterthought,- saw Yami. The teen's shift in concentration had gained the attention of the whole group. The gang members had spotted the phone within Yami's hand, and that's when all hell broke loose._

_They had turned on the two teens and their 'accomplice'. Before any of the three could say, or do, anything, the gang had started throwing punches. Bakura swore at their misfortune. He attempted to reason with them, telling them that it's not what they thought, although they didn't listen. Finding no other way out, the transfers brandished their weapons. Marik started to laugh, proclaiming that it had been a while since he was able to use 'stabby' and that he could use the workout. _

Yami stood, watching with detached interest as a battlefield broke out within the alleyway. Maybe, he would have been emotionally invested if he knew any of these people personally, but he didn't and was surprised to learn that he didn't care, either. It was as if he was watching a movie. He had nothing to lose here. The whole situation was just an inconvenience, and, yet, he couldn't just walk away. His body seemed to stopped working- leaving him rooted to the spot.

_While the gang members were sloppy in their aim, thrusting their weapon towards the move vital areas of the body, Malik and Bakura were only out to maim. His two classmates seemed to have experience dealing with this type of situation and used the fact that they were smaller than their enemy to their advantage. The pair moved with speed and accuracy, easily complimenting each other and working together while the gang stumbled over each other, trying to land a blow. Yami couldn't help, but feel impressed by their skill. _

_Out of seemingly nowhere, he felt something pierce his lower leg. He fell to the ground as his shaking leg was unable to support his weight anymore. He blinked down at the knife wedged in just below his knee, waiting for the pain he knew would never come. He manoeuvred to sit on the floor, drawing his leg towards him to pull the thing from his wound. Blood gushed from beneath the skin. He couldn't feel it, only the numbness that occasionally plagued his body. _

_Yami turned to the man who tried to stab him to meet with his surprised expression. Before the smaller male could do anything, a blur of a person flew past, tackling his attacker to the ground. He blinked, seeing Marik straddling the man to the ground, knife held at the ready within his right hand. A growl low in his throat. He said something in a low whisper before he stabbed the man in the shoulder. _

_The man howled in pain, causing one of his comrades to turn. Seeing the position they were in, the onlooker lept onto Marik's back, causing him to collapse onto his capture, who groaned at the added weight. The newcomer repositioned them so that Marik was pinned underneath him. He yelled something that sounded like 'your going to pay for hurting him,' and then raised his gun. _

_Yami couldn't honestly remember what happened next- it all seemed all a blur. But he did notice the golden light by Marik was the last thing he saw until he found himself sub coming to darkness. _

_He awoke on the floor, his coat and trousers covered in blood. He shed his top garment, leaving his leather shirt on as he glanced around. The alleyway was void of life, although the blood remained. He found Bakura, who was perched on upon a fire-escape, twirling his knife between his fingers, looking thoughtful. Marik was nowhere to be seen._

Joey never got to no what they had spoken about as Yami seemed to be closed-lip about it. He waited for a few minutes after Bakura had left, telling him to come immediately- he didn't trust his voice to work enough for a call.

Yami paused in his explanation to breathe.

Yami ignored the horrified expressions being directed at him. The tone he had used was so detached and deadpanned that it twisted their guts and made the inside of their bodies want to be on the outside. To their dismay, he continued to talk after a few moments of eerie silence.

He explained that when he was a child, he would have times he felt like this. Like he was trapped within his own mind. When this happened, it was as if he was watching a movie- or on a set of one, at least- and he had no idea how he got there or what he was doing there for. Sometimes, his senses would burn with bright colours, loud noises and horrible smells, while other times his nerve endings failed to give him any sensory input or delayed to respond. At the latter times, he would beg for his body to feel something, anything to give him the satisfaction that he was able to.

People had called him a monster during these times; stating that something was not right with him and that he needed help. He believed them- they were right. It wasn't right. His cousin had called in some doctors, but it didn't help. His condition stayed reality the same and had been getting worse since he had reached the age of thirteen.

After a few tries and multiple people, he had stopped going and found that it was easier to isolate himself. He felt lonely, but it was miles better than pretending to be something he wasn't. His quirks were his own and he didn't want to force himself to change when his mind wasn't ready to.

Stunned silence swept through the alleyway as he trailed off. Crimson-eyes stared at the far wall, refusing to meet their gazes. Tristan's face held a variety of emotions ranging from fear to sympathy.

Joey was close to tears. His chest was in agony as anger, fear and frustration whirled up a thunderstorm in the pit of his stomach. He clenched his hands into fists, frustrated at himself as he felt his body shake in fear and terror from what he had been told. He felt light-headed and stuck between deciding whether to throw-up or collapse.

"Man, I... Oh, god..." Tristan started slowly, unable to find the words he wanted to say. Before he could sort out his thoughts, the tri-coloured haired boy stood up and limped to the mouth of the alleyway. Joey kept starting at the spot where his friend used to sit, thinking hard. The sound of Yami's boots reached Joey's ears as he disappeared into the streets of Domino City.

The two boys had gone home that night, confused and worried about their newest friend. Joey had stayed up all night, feeling troubled. His father had come home, drunk (as per usual), around midnight. Joey winced as his dad started to yell and scream about everything about nothing in particular. Joey didn't get any sleep that night.

By the time he had got up for school the next day, there was a hole in the door and half of the decent plates had been destroyed.

* * *

Next time they saw Yami, it was the end of the class before break time on Tuesday. He looked disbelieved as he rushed into the room, a Kaiba Corporation issued laptop bag dangling from his shoulder. Joey could see the anticipation that was clear in his expression. His face dropped when Yami had walked past him, ignoring the 'hey, Yams' sent the smaller teens' way and went over to Marik and Bakura, who was sitting at the back of the room. Yami spoke to them in hushed tones.

It wasn't long until they exited the room. Marik was the verge of tears, while Bakura looked ready to snap something in half. Curious, he decided to follow them and found himself standing at the doors of the barely-used library. He slipped inside to see the librarian slowly ebb away from the trio, shooting wary glances at them. Apart from the five, there was no one else in the room; perfect for some privacy.

Yami stopped by a table at the back, slamming the laptop down on the surface with more force than necessary. He sighed, opening the lab and lifting the lid to the laptop. It was then that Yami went on to explain that he couldn't find Marik's sister (Ishizu), but he managed to spot someone named 'Odion' in Egypt. Just then, Marik burst into tears of joey, throwing himself at Bakura, hugging the albino teen.

Bakura stumbled back and then scrawled, annoyed with the blond teen. Despite this, he didn't make any move to remove him once he looked down to see that Marik was grinning up at him, tears shining in his eyes. So, instead, he turned to stare at Yami. He then asked if Yami could check the airport and travel-hire shop records within connecting to Egypt to see if there were any signs if there was another person travelling with him. This done, he turned back to the teen, who was clutching at his waist and hesitantly brought his arms up to hug Marik, muttering words into the other boy's ear.

A groan snapped everyone's attention to Yami, who had sat down and was staring at the many files open on his laptop. He was muttering to himself as he tried to read through the many people's travel bookings made all the way back to a year ago. Sighing, Yami rubbed at his eyes before he shook his head.

Bakura noticed the action and frowned. Marik glanced over, head still resting on Bakura's lap. "What's wrong?" He asked, a little fearful, his hand unconsciously tugging on Bakura's jacket. "Too much information?" Marik asked, sympathetic. He then lowered his voice. "We could do it later. At least I know they're alive."

Before he could stop himself, Joey stepped away from the door, clearing his throat. "I can do it," he offered confidently. Three heads snapped to him, two looking shocked while Bakura just looked annoyed. The latter's hand flew to his pocket, sidestepping so he stood in front of Marik. The said book took a cautious step back, peering over the albino's shoulder. The last of the small group stiffened in his chair, eyes darting to the two sides, apprehensive. Joey wondered briefly why his pal was helping them, although he found himself proud of the teen for the deed he was doing.

Yami cleared his throat, introducing Joey in a mono-tone. Bakura's eyes narrowed, telling him to leave before he introduced him to his 'pet' and force the blond to live up to his namesake as they wheeled his butt out of the school on a stretcher. The tri-coloured haired teen stood abruptly, rolled his eyes, then said that was 'how Bakura says, hello.' He then tried to assure Joey that he'll be fine as long as he didn't get too close to Bakura and Marik.

Joey edged towards Yami, sticking close to the walls and bookcases. He cast wary glances as he did this, sagging in relief when he finally reached his friend. He collapsed into the chair with a breathe. All along Marik watched this, an odd look on his face.

* * *

It took a while for them to find anything. Marik had fallen asleep on one of the desks while Bakura was messing around with his phone, asking Siri all kinds of questions. Yami had joined Joey at the computer after pacing for a while- not out of nervousness, as it turned out, but out of boredom. As he paced, his hands were going through the motions of a few card tricks with pain cards he usually stashed in his pocket.

Soon, they had the flight name and the transport they had taken to the hotel that they were currently staying in. One internet search later and he had the hotel's address and phone number. Marik was grouching when Bakura had awoken him, but held the boy down, explaining the situation, and that confusion soon turned to pure excitement.

In no time at all, the pair had made a quick exit, leaving the two boys without any thanks or confirmation that the information was even correct. When Joey voiced his disgruntlement, Yami snorted and told Joey that they were lucky that Bakura was in good mood and didn't decide to inflict injuries due to the blond's interruption.

That experience made Joey never wanted to encounter those two nutcases ever again.

Unfortunately, luck was never on his side.

* * *

The very next day, Marik had jumped him on the way to school, a smirk on his face, a knife pressed to the blond's neck. He had threatened him never to tell anyone what he heard or he would face the consequences. After a few stumbled reassurances that he wouldn't (he was scared for his life!), the boy nearly crushed him to death in a bear hug before he bounded off towards the school.

Frightened, and confused beyond anything he had ever felt before, Joey had followed after him, dazed. By the time sat down at his desk, he finally settled on being thankful he was alive and was thankful to escape with his life, even if his stomach hurt for the next few hours.

At break time, he found himself being ushered by Yami into the school library in the pretence of studying for a big test coming up (Joey had slept through class, so he was going by what his friend had said,) only for Bakura and Marik to waltz in after them. Marik had told them that his sister and brother were fine and that they would be coming home in two months when a new exhibition is supposed to be held at the museum based on Ancient Egypt.

At these words, Yami had perked up and started to ask all sorts of questions. He had only received vague answers from the blond boy, including 'you'll have to ask my sister', and 'how the hell should I know'. After the fifth one, Bakura had gone annoyed and threw a book right at Yami's head, which he ducked. Yami had laughed, a smirk on his face, looking like he had just been issued a challenge.

Soon, books and other objects went flying and Joey had high tailed out of there, thinking his friend had gone crazier than usual.

* * *

Despite the wariness towards the two teens, Bakura and Marik continued to involve themselves to remain a constant in their lives. When they were around, Joey and Tristan would either leave or hover on the edge. Although Joey appreciated the impact the pair had on Yami, he was also afraid for his friend. They had a certain way with their words that would force Yami to participate in their pranks and schemes.

When he had tried to tell the teen of his fears, Yami had shot him down. He admitted that, while Joey did have a point, he didn't want to lose them. He knew that Bakura could be manipulative and had come close to stabbing him a few time, despite this, he wasn't afraid. He told Joey that Bakura and Marik were some of the most honest people in his life and that he didn't want to lose them as they accepted his 'strangeness' because they understood the struggle he was going through. He then had gone on to say that if this was the price for acceptance, then he would gladly pay it. No one was perfect, he had pressed on, and that he needed to have people around him who knew his fault and didn't ridicule him for it.

As these words came, Joey fought the urge to shiver, feeling creeped out to the max. Even now, he could still remember the sincerity in his friend's voice; the hopefulness in his tone. How those crimson-eyes begged almost begged him to understand. He had spoken up, saying that he was Yami's friend and that he did accept him- only for the boy to shot him down. 'It's not the same,' Yami had said, shaking his head. Joey's heart sank.

It was then that Yami had brought up his home life, causing him to nearly choke in surprise. He said that he admired Joey for acting so carefree when there was so much pressure on his shoulder. That it hurt to see the anger and hopelessness weighing him down and slowly crushing his soul and breaking the blond's heart. From the financial issue to the abuse he suffered from his dad, Yami had flat outright told Joey that he couldn't take it anymore. He wanted his best friend to be happy for once; he didn't want to see the hurt behind those honey-coloured eyes every time he looked at him.

By this point, Joey had broken down. Through tear-filled eyes, he nearly missed the three pieces of paper thrust into his hands. He then went on to say that he was expelled due to a prank that went too far concerning a girl in their year, and that he had to leave the school premises within the next few minutes otherwise the police would be called in. That said, Joey watched as one of his best-friends walked out on him, face stoic, crimson eyes soft.

As it turned out, the papers Yami had given him was a copy of the warrant for his dad's arrest, the custody papers saying custody of one Jospheth Wheeler was given to his mother and a deed for a three-bedroom house in Domino under his mother's name.

* * *

When he goes back to the flat he once had shared with his dad, an evacuation notice had been plastered to his door. When he walked in, he was tackled by his mum, telling him how much she had missed him with tears shining in her eyes.

She went on to explain when she came home from work that evening, a nice young man in a limo had shown up and presented her with an identical set of papers he had received. 'Everyone deserves a chance for happiness' was all he explained before he turned away, got back inside his limo and drove away. She stared after him in shock.

Upon visiting the house that was under her name without her even knowing, she had found a large house, complete with a large garden and a conservatory. A blue Lexus parked in the driveway- she found the keys on one of the many kitchen sides. The house had a minimal amount of furniture needed for human habitation.

On the fridge, there was a note telling her that Serenity- her daughter and Joey's little sister- was being moved to a hospital closer to the house and that her most needed eye surgery was paid for and already scheduled for a date in a few months. Below that was a note telling her to wait for her son in the old flat the boy and her former husband used to live.

* * *

Their first visitor was in the form of Atemu 'Yami' Kaiba. The woman had flown herself at him, pulling him into a bear hug, words of praise spilling from her lips in an ever-flowing river of emotions. Noticing his mum's behaviour, Joey had waltzed into the hall and was surprised to the position they were in. Yami was flailing but didn't move to pry her off. The panicked/shocked look on his face was comical that Joey couldn't stop the laughter bubbling up inside of his chest.

Once his mum had calmed down, she had invited the young boy in. The two watched from the sofa as she bustled around the kitchen, making them some tea and snacks.

Calming down from his laughter that a level he could speak, he asked Yami how he had managed to do all this. Instead of an explanation, all he got was a smirk and the cryptic 'wouldn't you like to know.' When Joey asked if it had something to do with the Kaiba name, the grin widened and he left it at that. Next, he had asked Yami how his mum had got away from touching him and he didn't. This gained a chuckle from the tri-coloured teen, saying that he didn't mind as long as they gave a warning and had his permission.

Joey smirked and threw an arm around the teen. Yami pushed him away with a playful growl. When Joey whined at the mistreatment, Yami had replied, saying that he 'never asked.'

**TBC:**


	3. Chapter 3:

**Notes:**

**Hello, and welcome back! I cannot believe I am on the third chapter already this month. Normally, I would update monthly while other projects are in the metaphorical oven, but I seemed to be focused on this one for now. The plot bunnies have taken over my brain and don't seem to want to leave me alone for a while now! Anyone, help? Please?**

**First, I want to give a shout out to my nephew, who's birthday was yesterday and he's now three! I love you, little guy! We went Twinlakes on Monday and celebrated his birthday with a little get together. This is part of the reason while this chapter was not posted as I had to wait to come back to complete it.**

**Now, before I get into this, there are sometimes I would like to say:**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed (whoever you are as you didn't even leave a shred of an identity!) I cannot thank you enough for the support you guys are giving me!**

**The 'friendship' between Marik, Bakura and Yami has been an idea floating around in my head for a while, and I have wanted to explore the concept for a while now. While non-conventional, it is something that works and is sort of displayed in the relationship between Bakura and Marik, although the anime (not sure about the Manga) doesn't take the idea far at all.**

**Without further ado, let's get the part you've all been waiting for! Chapter 3!**

**-Anomalous123**

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

"Shut it off!" The angry voice of Joey Wheeler yelled from his bed. Yami startled awake, flailing slightly before he turned in his covers to glare up at Joey. The blond boy groaned, rolling over to free the pillow from under his head so that he could slam it over his ears. It did little to muffle the sound, so he sat up and threw the object right at Yami.

Frowning, Yami caught the object and pelted it back the way it came before he reached over and silenced his phone. He then picked it up and groaned. On the screen, it announced that it was the six missed calls and ten messages from his cousin in the past five hours. Dread gathered in the pit of his stomach as Yami thought how the taller teen will react when he finally caught him.

He scrolled down the messages, pressing on the voice mails as they appeared. Joey jumped and nearly fell off the bed as Kaiba's voice filled the room. He glared at Yami before his eyes shifted to the phone.

**Missed call**** 23:37:** _'Call me.'_

**Message at 23:45:** 'Call me.'

**Message at 00:00:** 'Are you death! I said call me.'

**Message at 00:10:** 'What the hell are you playing at. Answer your damn phone!'

**Missed call ****at 0:30:** "_If you don't answer this phone, I am going to…!'" _There was the sound of surprise and then a grinding noise against concrete.

**Missed call at ****0:34:** "_I swear on my company, Atemu, if you don't pick up I am going to give a list of all the crimes your 'friends' have done to the police! This is important!"_

**Message at 0:59:** 'Goddamnit, Atemu. This is not a joke. You better tell me where you are or else!'

**Message at 1:20:** 'Don't bother going into work later, you are fired,'

**Message at 1:30:** 'You better not be at Wheeler's place. I swear Atemu, if you are lazing about with that half-wit, I am disowning you!'

**Message at 2:00:** 'Stop avoiding me.'

**Message at 2:30:** 'Please, just ring me.'

**Message at 3:00:** 'Screw you, Atemu. You will never live up to the Kaiba name. You heartless bastard!'

**Missed call ****at 3:10**: '_Whatever you do, do not come back! Do not contact me from now one, just answer when I call!"_

**Missed call ****at 4:24:**_ "I'll keep this brief; Mokuba has come out of surgery, not that you would care... You've been avoiding me all night and they were watching us." There was a long pause and then some shuffling as he moved to a more secure location. "Do not go home. Don't trust anyone. Keep your deck on you and stay at the Wheelers. If they find you, take the damn puzzle and run. Try and solve it as fast as you can." There was a weary sigh. "Please, just keep safe, cousin."_

**Message at 5:00:** 'I'm sending Roland to meet you at Burger World. He's going incognito, so be there at half-eight. Do NOT be late.'

**Missed call at 8:10:** _"You better have left."_

The two were shocked into silence. Both were staring wide-eyed at his phone. It was a few minutes before anyone moved or spoke.

"How… what," Joey started and cleared his throat. He scrambled for the right words. "Kaiba has lost the plot!" He finally blurted out. "I mean, in the span of a few hours, he had gone from demanding to desperate, then threatening to use life threatenin' situations just ta make ya answer yer phone! The asshole! Next time I see him, I am gonna…" Jory ranted. How dare Kaiba threatens Yami's job and then say his little brother was in the hospital! He knew Kaiba was a jerk, but this was going to a new level of assholery Joey couldn't even comprehend.

Noticing that Yami wasn't paying attention to him, he turned to the other teen. The tri-coloured haired boy sat with his hands clenched, back hunched as he slumped over his phone. Yer shouldn't worry about that jerk, he's making it all up."

Slowly, Yami shook his head. "No, Kaiba would never say anything like that about his little brother, unless…" Without warning, he jumped to his feet and scrambled towards his bag as he proceeded to get dressed. He pulled out items from his bag he had pre-packed at Grandpa's for this type of situation and froze. The gleam from the top caught his attention.

With shaking hands, he reached out and took the box containing his prized possession out and unlatched the lid. A nearly completed upside-down pyramid greeted him. He ran a hand over the surface, entranced by its beauty. Every time he saw it, the teen was always mesmerized by it. Shaking his head, he set it back into the box before going back to getting dressed. This was no time to get lost in his near obsession.

From behind him, Joey had noticed his behaviour and slid from his bed. "You're going?" He asked, unsure what to make of all this. Yami hummed, distracted. Noticing this, he silently approached the golden box, remembering Kaiba's words as they echoed in his head. What was so special about it? Kaiba seemed insistent in Yami keeping it with him within those messages; and, yet, he banned it from school? All this did not make sense.

Once he got close to the item, Yami growled. Joey jumped back, shocked, but not surprised. No one was allowed to touch its period and, in this situation, Yami had decided no one was allowed near it either. The boy had turned, scooping the box into his arms before he cradled the thing to his chest. Joey backed away slowly, and awkwardly sank back down onto his bed.

Yami startled. His eyes dropping its glare for a surprised look. He placed the box back into his backpack, wondering why he had become so aggressive. Yes, he had gotten protective of these things in the past, but never this much. Joey was curious about the item, he knew, but he wasn't going to steal it! Taking a calming breath, he changed his t-shirt and then stood up to do so with his pyjama bottoms.

Joey shifted, not knowing what to do. After a moment of consideration, he decided to follow in Yami's footsteps and dressed as quickly as possible. He made extra sure he gave the other teen the space he needed as he did so. Joey was thankful bedroom was much bigger than the one he used to have. It made the task of finding things much easier as it all didn't have to clutter all in the corner, so he could move around without getting in Yami's way.

"Coming?" Yami's voice came impatiently, snapping Joey out of his thoughts. The teen straightened up. His legs half-way into his jeans. He saw Yami was waiting by the door, crimson eyes expectant. One of his hands were grasping the backpack straps while his right hand was curled tightly around his mobile.

"Give me a minute!" Joey snapped. Yami threw his head back and sighed expressly. He chuckled slightly, lifting his left leg and quickly lost his balance. He fell, hard. Hearing the thump, Yami glanced over and then smirked. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it all up!" Joey grumbled moodily, pushing himself up from the floor.

* * *

"We're late," Yami stated irritably, sidewards glaring at the blond. The said teen shifted uncomfortably in his seat. It was nine thirty-five and they were two minutes away from the bus stop that dropped them off down the street from the fast-food establishment.

"Only be a few minutes!"

"We're still late," Yami snapped back then huffed, sitting back in his seat and folding his arms. Joey watched, amused. This was different from the normal times his friend got upset over things. Normally, he would sulk, attack, or both. It was only rare times where Joey could see his best friend pout, and he found it so funny to watch.

The two minutes dragged on. Yami complaining about their timekeeping, while Joey was slowly getting annoyed.

"Finally!" The shorter teen exclaimed, pressing the bell as he jumped up from his seat. He was already by the doors when the bus was slowing to a stop, waiting impatiently.

Yami jumped across the 'waiting line', but he didn't get far. The doors didn't budge. "Young man! Next time, you will stay in your seat until the bus has stopped. That was dangerous. What if I had to stop suddenly and you went flying? What would have happened then, huh?" The bus driver scrawled, a frown set on his ageing face.

Yami turned to glare at the poor man. Before he could say anything, Joey quickly jumped in to diffuse the situation. "I am so sorry. I should have told him not to do that. See, he doesn't understand things sometimes," he turned to Yami, who looked to be silently fuming at these words. "He's sorry, too. Right, Yami?"

The aforementioned opened his mouth to protest, but a stabbing pain from his side made him change his mind. "Un," he acknowledged with a nudge. Satisfied, the bus driver opened the doors to let the two teens go.

As soon as they had gotten up, Yami decided to get a little payback, and elbowed him, hard, in the side. Joey winced as he kept on walking, side tingling a little from the impact. "What the hell just happened. I do 'understand things'!"

Joey rolled his eyes. "I know, but if ya weren't actin' like a spaz, then we would've left da bus much quicker. It was the easiest way ta get 'im ta let us go."

Yami sighed and quickened his pace, leaving his friend to trail behind. Through the window, he could see Roland sitting in a booth all on his own, a coffee cup in front of him. He was staring off into the distance though, seemingly a million miles away.

* * *

Due to the early morning, the restaurant only had a few customers ranging from young families to one or two pensioners. When the two teens looked over, they could tell Roland had already ordered them food although the man had only got himself a drink, which he was nursing between his fingers.

It was odd, Yami noted, to see Kaiba's right-hand man in normal clothing. He wore a black t-shirt and faded blue jeans. His sunglasses were the only thing that stayed and Yami could tell he had a gun judging by the faint outline under his slightly baggy t-shirt.

"Damn. Kaiba was right about ya going all incognito. I never thought I would see one of his henchmen in normal clothing…" Joey trailed off as they approached the table. Roland jumped up at his voice, his large hand covering the blond's mouth. The aforementioned blinked, wondering how he had moved so fast.

"Cease speaking at once, Master Joey. We are here for a reason; to blend in. It will be pointless if you shout who I work." For a moment, there was silence as no one spoke. Joey realised the older male was waiting for something, so he nodded, rather reluctantly. The air around them gave him the impression that Roland wanted him to stay quiet.

Next, the man ushered them into the booth, pointing out what meal was whose. Joey, unable to turn down free food, unwrapped his burger and chomped down on it with the ferocity of a starving lion.

Roland turned to Yami, who was still shocked at the name Kaiba's employee had used for Joey. The younger edged away from Joey once he saw how the blond was eating and then turned to Roland. The man was staring at him expectantly. Tentatively, the tri-coloured haired boy reached for his drink and took a sip.

Satisfied that his employer's cousin was eating (Kaiba had been very insistent before he left to get the boy to eat something. Usually, he skipped meals when he was stressed. He guessed a drink was some success,) he started his explanation.

"Master Kaiba has alerted us that you may be in grave danger. Last night, serval masked figures infiltrated the mansion. They ransacked everything. When I escorted Mokuba home from the office, we were ambushed. They demanded your whereabouts and the location of your puzzle. When we refused, one of the men had grabbed Mokuba and had shot him in the chest. He said that it was a warning and that we had forty-eight hours to give you up, or they would come back and finish the job."

Yami looked horrified at this news. Joey looked like he was going to be sick. The burger dropped from his loose grip. Roland was glad he had made both boys sit down, or he was most likely they would have fainted right then and there. "What's so special about the puzzle?" Joey asked timidly.

Yami's attention snapped back to the conversation. "That's something I would like to know," he started slowly.

Roland sighed heavily. "That, even I don't know. Either Master Kaiba knows and is not telling me, or has an idea what it does. All he said was that you should complete it as soon as possible. Solomon Motou also agrees."

"Yes, I got that from the messages, but why?!" Yami stood, suddenly angry. Kaiba had always kept secrets from him. Now, Grandpa too? This was so confusing. What was going on!

Roland looked sad. "I don't know," he whispered with a shake of his head. Yami deflated, sinking back down on in the booth's bench. "All I know is that Master Kaiba has given me instructions to take you to a secure location this afternoon. You are not to go near Kaiba Corporation, the games shop, museum or the mansion until we know it is safe. Soon, everywhere you have gone in the daylight is not going to be safe."

"So, all I gotta do is complete the puzzle? That's my orders until this afternoon, right?" Roland nodded, hesitantly. "I don't know what game Kaiba has gotten us into, but I do know that someone else has set the board and we have no choice. They have made their first move, and knowing my cousin, a counterattack is being devised. I have no choice than to play along, that is until I can demand some answers out of him."

The teen slipped the backpack off his shoulder and started to open it. Roland slapped his hand away. Yami glared. "Not here. I suggest going back to the Wheeler household. The puzzle can attract attention."

"No," the two recoiled at his words. Yami frowned. "I have a better place. Anyone who has been watching me in the daylight knows I am Joey's friend. It is best to go somewhere else," he thought for a moment, before grimacing.

He couldn't put Joey's mum in danger like that, and couldn't go Tristan's either. The latter was part of a big family and he didn't want to be responsible for putting targets on their backs. Unfortunately, that only left him with one other option. "Bakura's will be the best. He lives alone, and his apartment is not far from here."

Joey's eyes widened in panic. "You want me ta go to that lunatic's house?! After last time, he'll gut me alive!"

Despite the situation, Yami laughed, actually laughed.

Joey started. It was times like this his 'friend's' sanity came into question.

* * *

Yami watched as his friend dragged his feet in protest as he approached the apartment building. "This is crazy, this is crazy, this is CRAZY!" He muttered in a mantra sort of way. The blond was biting his lip, fingers clasped together in front of his chest as if he was praying to some kind of higher power that he would come out of this alive.

Yami sighed. "Stop being over-dramatic. We'll last longer than last time. Remember, you helped Marik find his brother and sister. And if that doesn't work, we have peace offerings." He held up the bags containing the different kinds of food Burger World sold. They had ordered more to accommodate another two hungry teens appetites. "That'll give us an hour, minimum!"

Joey lowered his hands, only to have them swing slightly by his side agitatedly. Yami closed his eyes, took a deep breath and started up the staircase.

* * *

On the third floor, a young Egyptian teen was sprawled out on the sofa. His face was lax, breathing normally as he slept the day away. He and Bakura had been up all night, trolling YouTube videos and scaring people on Tinder, so bad that they would think twice before using the app again.

Bakura yawned, trailing into the room and making his way into the bathroom. An evil laugh echoed through the apartment. He re-emerged a minute later, toothbrush hanging from his mouth to stare at the front door. Lowering the toothbrush, he wiped at his face before throwing the object into the bathroom and headed for the door. As he went, he spits the last of the paste into Marik's cup and dug a knife out from under the sofa cushions.

On the count of three, he yanked the door open and startled. Yami was standing there, a bag pulled up to cover his face, which Bakura had put a knife into. "Take your paranoia out on the food, why don't you," the smallest teen replayed dryly. He thrust the bag forward, "I need to use your place for a bit. THIS was payment before you chose to stab it."

Bakura blinked, then scowled. No one said anything for a moment. Yami shook the bag once more. The smell of food wafted into the apartment. Bakura's mouth watered.

"Food!" Marik shot up, bouncing over and taking the delicious treat. He snatched the bag from Yami's hand and inhaled the scent. He sighed. It had been a while since he had fast food.

Bakura rolled his eyes, then moved aside for his guest to come in. He shifted to a more alert position when he saw Wheeler heisting in the doorway, a stranger standing behind him. The red-eyed teen growled at the two. "Calm yourself," Yami warned. "Joey's harmless and seeks sanctuary. He's clean, but watch out for his fists- he packs a mean punch. Regardless, you owe him after he helped you find Marik's family." He turned to the oldest male present.

"Roland is under my command and is now doubling as my bodyguard. I warn you, he's armed; gun in his left pocket, although it is for mine and Joey's protection." Roland raised an eyebrow, surprised. Yami shook his head. It was best to warn Bakura; he really didn't act well to surprises.

From his spot on the sofa, Marik swallowed the chips and then threw a look at Yami. He frowned, eyes soft. "What the hell have you gotten yourself into?" He asked, voice grave. The started looks he got, caused him to turn to face the shortest full on. "You wouldn't come here if you didn't have to, especially with your guard dogs. So, I'll ask again. Yami, what the hell is going on?"

**TBC:**

* * *

**Update:** I have started **Chapter 4** and, after a rocky start, I am on a role. Expect it to be out by Tuesday 23nd July!


	4. Chapter 4:

**Notes:**

**Hello, and welcome back! I know it is late, but I have a good excuse! On Sunday 21st at night I got a call to say that I would be to Butlins the very next day for a week- and I have only just got back yesterday. There was no internet or service to post this chapter, and I had a lot of washing to get through yesterday before I could do anything else.**

**Anyway, I am back now, and ready to write for you guys. I'm not sure when the next chapter would be out due to plans being made during the week, so I advise you guys to follow this story for a more accurate schedule than 'sometime next week'.**

**For the wait, this is going to be a longer chapter than I originally planned. I thank everyone for their patience with me. You guys are awesome!**

**-Anomalyous123**

**Chapter 4:**

Yami shifted uncomfortably, turning to make himself invisible to the blood eyes that seemed to be boring into his soul. He had just gotten up to explaining the attack inflicted upon Mokuba, only for Bakura to have yanked him into the kitchen and slammed the door closed behind them. The last thing he saw of his friends was a wide-eyed Marik, an ill-looking Joey and an ever stoic Roland.

"Mokuba- Kaiba's little brother- was attacked?" Was the first thing the thief asked, an eyebrow raised, arms folded across his chest. Yami startled- slightly as he was too focused on those eyes- before he gave a solemn nod. "When's the guys funeral?"

Yami frowned. If he hadn't known Bakura, he would have thought he had meant Mokuba's, but he knew better than that. It was common knowledge that Kaiba was overly-protective of his little brother and anyone who dared to even look in his direction funny would face the older brother's wrath.

"Not decided, yet. He got away."

There was a sharp intake of air. Blood red-eyes narrowed in anger. "Bastard," the taller teen muttered furiously. Yami blinked. It was strange for the white-haired boy to show emotion that was not negative towards anyone other than Marik… It was kind of refreshing to see the thief to show care for Kaiba's little brother.

Noticing the look he was being given, he snarled. "What? He's a kid; kids are off-limits, period- no matter what they've done." He turned and started to pace in the small space. "If those bastards did this, then they must have an agender, right? What are their demands, did rich boy spill?" Yami bit his lip, looking hesitant. He debated what he should tell the Bakura.

On one hand, the thief had a strange pull for shiny things, especially ones that look expensive. If he showed him the puzzle, maybe he would get some information on what it was and why it was so important… The thief researched his targets after all; maybe he had come across it while looking up another artefact? Surely, there must have been a file on record at the museum from the time it was stored there before it got handed to Grandpa after the killings had started.

There must have been at least some old newspapers mentioning the incident. despite the efforts to shush it up. Bakura had, at least, scoured through the files of the museum once he had started working there. He had claimed to be bored, although they both knew it was more to see if any of the artefacts found was a family heirloom that went missing the night Bakura's parents were killed. He had been looking for it ever since he was free of the strict Care System. It was near to impossible to sneak around with nosy children and care workers constantly on your back day in and out.

He shook his head, mind reeling back on its main thought track. What was he debating about, again? Right, demands.

He could take a gamble with mentioning his most treasured artefact, although that would also mean that making the two targets as well. He was one, regardless, but he didn't want the other teen to get defensive and kick him out as soon as he told Bakura. Right now, he was a potential danger to himself and everyone around him. To tell him this may cause Bakura to view him as a threat to him- and Marik- just by simply being here. He knew the white-haired teen valued Marik's safety above others, including his own.

Yami wondered briefly of what happened to make Bakura so protective the strange boy but, then, berated himself for that moment of weakness. It was none of his business- and if it was, he would have been and would be told by either boy when -if- the time arises.

While this was going on, Bakura stared. He could see the flicker of emotions passing through Yami's expression- hope, guilt, admiration, sadness, resignation, they were all there for the briefest of seconds before it smoothed over into a worried frown. He blinked. There must have been something serious for Yami to feel all these things within the span of a few seconds.

Whatever he was thinking was causing an inner-conflict. He waited for a few more moments, then growled. This was getting them nowhere. That, and the anticipation that lay like a thick blanket in the air was getting on his nerves. "Well," he pressed. "Spit it out, then. I haven't got all day, you know!"

"What do you think of this?" Yami had decided to ask, shrugging off his backpack to deposit the item on the side. An eyebrow raised.

"It's called a backpack." Bakura scoffed, in a dull tone. Eyes travelled from the bag to settle back on Yami's face quizzically. "I know you are an utter moron, but I thought you would at least have the common knowledge to see what it is. Even the mutt can tell…"

He was cut off by a groan. "Not that, what is inside it!" Yami bit back, head tilting back slightly in exasperation, eyes sliding closing momentarily.

The thief huffed before he reached out to flip the bag open. He stared. A golden box crafted Five Millennia ago greeted his vision. His eyebrows shot up. He had Yami mention his 'treasure' a few times but he had never set eyes on it before. If he were to guess, the 'treasure' was this right here.

Curiously, he reached out and took the item into his hands. Yami stiffened, growling as he reached out to snatch it back. Crimson eyes glazing over, gaining a 'bloodlust' look to them, face growing vacant. Bakura duked, a yell of surprise leaving his throat as Yami threw a punch towards his stomach.

"What the hell?" The white-haired boy exclaimed, rolling out of the way of a kick aimed at his head. In retaliation, Bakura growled, turned, then swiped a leg out. It connects with the back of Yami's knee, causing him to fall. Bakura dove out of the way… Only for him not to be fast enough. Yami's full weight came crashing down upon his arm and right leg. He bit back a groan, wiggling slightly to get free. It took a few tries before he was loose.

Yami went to push himself up but found that he couldn't. The smaller let out a grunt of pain from the added weight. His lungs felt like he was being crushed.

Bakura had moved to sit on the youngster boy's back, a smirk forming on his face. Now that Yami was pinned, he made time to reflect on what had happened and came to a conclusion. Dull red eyes darted around the room, looking for something to restrain his captive while he tested out his theory. His eyes light up. 'That'll do?' He thought nonchalantly as he stood quickly, placing a foot on Yami's back to stop him escaping as he reached over for the toaster. Next, he took the cord out from the wall, before he kneeled, grabbed Yami's wrists and wrapped the cord around them securely.

Just then, the door was kicked open and Joey stood there with a panicked Malik. "What on earth?" The former muttered, shocked at the position the two was in. Malik's panic died down to settle on confusion, purple-eyes blinking slowly as he also took in the scene. Roland's fists tightened at the sight of his employer's cousin being tied up. His fingers inching towards the gun that was in his jacket's left pocket.

"Not what you think," Bakura stood, stepping back to admire his handy work. Roland stepped forward, a frown on his face. Bakura turned to glare at him, mirroring his expression. He held up the box in his arms. "He jumped me! All over this damned box! I don't know what's going on, although I have an idea what's got him so…" He trailed off, mentioning to Yami with his free hand; he had no idea how to describe this new disperse of behaviour.

Joey brutalised, pointing a finger at the shorter boy. "You took 'is puzzle! Of course, he got defensive!" He accused. "Nobody is allowed ta touch the puzzle. He's been workin' on it for da past three years! He's not just gonna lose it after all dat time…!" He trailed off, Bakura wasn't listening anyway.

While Joey was pointing fingers, the white-haired teen moved from Yami's side, so that he was crouching in front of his friend. Next, he placed the puzzle onto the floor and shuffled backwards. His eyes watched Yami's expression carefully, conscious of how far he was moving away.

"What the hell are ya doing?" Joey asked, one eyebrow raised. He felt lost and suspicious at the smaller boy's actions. He went to step forward, but Malik's hand shot out, grasping his wrist and pulling him backwards. Joey turned to glare at the blond, although all he received was a shake of his head, and the instruction to 'watch'.

He turned back. Bakura was almost at a respectful distance away, before anything else happened. When it did, the change was immediate. Crimson-eyes blinked, glancing around with a lost look in his eyes. After a moment, he frowned, refocusing his gaze on the puzzle before he spotted Bakura. He shivered mentally at the grin that spread across the thief's face. "What…?" Yami started, but he didn't get to finish.

Bakura crawled forward, arms outstretched towards the puzzle. Crimson eyes widened. A second later, they narrowed, a snarl tearing from the boy's throat. He shuffled back. The poster reverted. He did this several times, a laugh bubbling in his throat.

Joey watched, a mixture of wonder and fear filling his very bones. He had no idea what was going on with his friend. His eyes shifted to Bakura. This felt wrong! A feeling of foreboding settled in his very bones. He went to move forward to intervene, only for Malik to throw arms around his middle to stop him.

On his faith go, Yami snapped. "Quit it!" He yelled, launching forward and tackled his 'tormentor' to the ground.

"Anger and panic! That is interesting." Bakura muttered from underneath him.

Yami nodded, sitting up. He watched, confused as Bakura eyes snapped to Malik.

"This is not a game, Bakura!" He exclaimed, lips curling into a snarl.

"Never said it was." These words made Yami sit back, his body relaxing slightly. His hands were still pinning Bakura's as he sat on the taller boys chest. The man under him tried not to wheeze under the pressure. "Then, why?" He asked, growing unsure of himself once more.

Before he could do anything, Bakura jerked his hands up, hitting them away from him. Next, he sat up, making Yami slide down onto the floor. "Idiot," the taller male muttered, getting off the floor. He brushed himself down, a glare in Yami's direction. "You said the guy who attacked your cousins wanted this, right?"

Yami nodded, still looking confused. "That's what Seto said they wanted."

Bakura stared at the surface of the box, a frown on his face. "I swear I have seen this symbol before…" He thought for a second before his eyes snapped to the doorway. He frowned. "Malik, what's wrong?"

In the doorway, Malik eyed the box warily. Next, he moved forward, entranced by it. He knelt, finger tracing the hieroglyphics upon its surface. Bakura watched warily, but nothing happened. Yami just stared, wide-eyed. After a few moments, the thief huffed. "So, why he gets to touch it and I don't?" He stared at Yami. Crimson-eyes glared back.

Malik smiled at these words, before he frowned, turning to Yami. "Have you completed it, yet?" All other occupants blinked.

"What…? How did you…?"

"Know?" Malik finished, then smiled. He picked up the box, cradling the object to his chest. "While my father is a politician and representative from Egypt, my Sister and Brother are consultants for the digs taking place in Egypt and are employees of the museum there. The Eye of Wagit was carved into most of the artefacts worn by those of royal blood and higher-ups. This particular one belongs to a set that was worn by the Royal Court five thousand years ago. My family owns two of them; the necklace and the rod."

Bakura glanced at it in awe. After a few seconds, it morphed into a smirk. "I was right; it is valuable. I've been struggling while you are sitting on a treasure trove! You know how much this will get in the black market! No wonder someone wants to steal it!" He turned to Yami, eyes blazing. Yami glared and snatched the box off Malik, who rolled his eyes in respiration.

"We'll help," Malik announced, pushing himself up. "Right, Bakura?"

"Yea-" Bakura blinked before his red eyes snapped over to his best friend. His head tilted a little. "Hell, no," he shouted, "he's a moron for telling people he has a PRICELESS ARTIFACT. This is NONE of our business, Malik." Their eyes connected; one, full of defiance, the other, of anger and concern.

Bakura couldn't back down. He knew Malik was a reckless idiot that would have been killed millions of times over if the white-haired teen hadn't been there to save him. And now, he wanted to risk his own life for the sake of helping his new friend.

In the beginning, the only reason he allowed Yami to hang around so much is that the boy owed him and Malik. And, for some mysterious reason that only the gods would know, he had grown to like the boy. He didn't want either of them to be in danger.

Malik stepped forward, his purple orbs narrowing. He couldn't- wouldn't- just abandon his friend when he was in danger. There aren't many people in the world that Bakura could tolerate being in the same room as; it was a miracle that he even liked someone like Yami.

Bakura had said that the tri-coloured-haired teen was different, somehow. He knew Bakura trusted Yami, even though neither would say it aloud. Because there was something there that connected the three. Like a kinship of some kind. Malik didn't understand what that meant, but he guessed that was okay. As long as he was allowed to interact with another human being under Bakura's radar, he was fine with.

Joey glanced between them as he made his way over to his friend. He offered a hand, which Yami surprisingly grabbed to haul himself up from the floor. One he had found his footing, he let go. "Where's Roland?" He asked, noticing the absence of the bodyguard.

"Outside, scoping the area. Malik took him aside for a minute and, when he came back, he was relaxed. He told me to give him a shout if we need him before he left outta the door."

From a little aways, Malik scoffed, obviously listening in. "I had my suspicions. I'd rather not have him listening in on this conversation."

Yami bristled. "He wouldn't tell anyone! He's loyal to me and Kaiba. He has been with my family since Kaiba and Mokuba was adopted!" He yelled, suddenly angry. How could they even question that man's loyalty? Roland was one of the few people he could trust. He had covered for Yami oh-so-many times when Seto gave him limitations that he had no intention in obeying. He was always been there for them through thick and thin.

"I agree with Marik. I don't want him prying into our personal lives. Accidental, or otherwise." Bakura snorted. There was a haunted look behind his eyes as he unconsciously stepped forward, his shoulder touching Marik's own.

"O-kay," Joey muttered, feeling uncomfortable. He coughed, clearing his throat before he turned his head to Yami. "It doesn't really matter, now. What we should be focusing on is solving dat puzzle of yours."

The four nodded in agreement and started to head towards the living room. A hand stopped Yami as he was about to leave the kitchen. He turned, shrugging it off of his shoulder. "What?" Yami asked. All he got was silence and a scrutinising stare for a moment. He shifted uncomfortably.

"If something happens to you, I'll kill them myself," Malik swore emotionlessly, a grin slowly spreading across his face. Next, he threw his arms around his friend and brought him close. Yami was too confused and shocked to do anything, but allow the contact. "I don't want Bakura to be upset," he added before he bounded away over to the sofa in search of more food.

* * *

Joey shifted in from his seat on the sofa, unable to get comfy. The soft click of each puzzle piece slotting into place was the only noise present within the apartment complex- and it was slowly getting to him.

Even though he didn't like being around Malik and Bakura, he felt the loss of their absence within the building. At least, they had provided some background noise; Marik was playing on his counsel while both of the teens were giving running commentary of how Marik was doing. After a while, he had calmed enough to find the humour in the thief's quips and jabs at Marik's decisions and general game-play, while the boy had stubbornly trying to defend his honour.

Unfortunately, the distraction hadn't latest as the Egyptian teen had dragged Bakura out the door half-an-hour ago, barely giving Bakura time to throw threats over his shoulder; telling them not to touch anything within the apartment, or they would regret it. Apparently, Malik had received a call from his sister, informing them that she and Odien had touched down in Tokyo and was on their way to the Domino Museum.

As soon as the door had shut, Joey had relaxed into the sofa, sighing in relief. He had been on edge since entering the apartment. and had not spoken a word since then. Roland, who had come back from his 'walk', stood by the door, leaning against the wall with a blank expression.

"Master Yami cell phone is ringing," Roland announced moments after the aforementioned machine burst to life. "Maybe we should…?" He went to retrieved it from the coffee table, only for Joey to beat him to it.

"Na, I'll get it," the blond teen dismissed, reaching over to take it into his own hands.

He glanced at the screen and blinked. It was Tristan's caller I.D.

A picture of Yami, Tristan and Joey had taken up most of the screen. It showed Tristan and Joey, who had broad smiles upon their faces and posing for the camera, as they stood outside of the Domino Museum. Yami was frowning in the background, a map of said place open within his hands. He was half-turned, seeing what his friends were doing. This photo was taken on the day of the tri-coloured haired teen's job interview and the two had come along for moral support as well as the free exclusive tour afterwards.

He turned his head to face his friend and sighed; the boy was not going to finish any time soon. There were at least a dozen more pieces yet to go until the puzzle was complete and the game enthusiast was in the zone. With a roll of his eyes, Joey picked up the phone and answered it.

"Hey, Trist, what's up? I haven't heard from you in a week, man. How're things?" He started cheerily, feeling his spirits lift. It had been a few days since Tristan had left to see his grandparents in America for a couple of days and he missed having one of his best-friends around.

"I'm good. Grandparents are happy, loved the present by the way- make sure to thank Serenity for the idea! A spa day was something they've needed for a while!" Joey smiled at his friend's words. His little sister had a knack for knowing what different types of things people happy. A pang of anticipation filled him at the prospect of seeing his sibling again. Her date to get her eyes fixed was coming up, and he couldn't wait to be there when she first opened her eyes.

"Apparently, there is a storm on its way, here, so we've decided to come home today instead of tomorrow." Tristan continued, growing solemn. "So, yeah, I'll be back for school on Monday… Wait, didn't I call Yami. I swear I dialled his phone number. You didn't answer yours… so," he trailed off, voice growing uncertain.

Joey chuckled. A mental picture of Tristan checking the caller ID on his phone to check to make sure. "Oh, yeah. You did," he informed, saving his friend the trouble. "Must have left mine at home. Sorry 'bout that…"

He was cut off. "Where's Yami?" Tristan's voice asked curiously, a hint of worry clear in his tone.

"Here," Joey replied before the other boy could start to work himself up. Joey thrust the phone between Yami and the puzzle. The tri-coloured hair teen didn't even blink at the intrusion, his hand stopping in his search for the next puzzle piece to knock the phone away. Joey frowned. "It's Tristan. At least say 'hello'!" There was a grunt of acknowledgement, the blond teen sighed. He placed the phone back to his ear.

On the other side of the line, Tristan chuckled. "Let me guess, he's in the middle of a game or reading something," he guessed.

Joey nodded and then realised Tristan could not see him. "You bet. Kaiba gave him a deadline on his puzzle instead of a percentage this time. He is determined to smash rich boys expectations. He's only got a few more pieces ta go."

"Oh, awesome! 'Bout time for us to see the finished product. I still can't believe he spent three and a half years on it already! I would have given up way before, now!"

"I know what'cha mean, Trist. I would've thrown it outta da window long ago. Anyway, man, I gotta go." His voice turned bitter, "It's getting around lunchtime, and I gotta get 'im ta eat something, or Kaiba will kill me," he added with a grimace.

More like, they were supposed to move to this 'secure location', but he didn't want Tristan to know that. There was nothing the other teen could do in another country and Joey knew that. Even if Tristan were in Domino, Joey would be reluctant to involve him. The Taylor family was big and had enough on their plate without making them some psycho's new targets.

"Right, right. We're leaving for the airport soon, anyway. I'm halfway through packing, so I'd better go back to it before they leave without me."

Joey chuckled. "We can't have dat. Now, can we?" He laughed with a smile. "Alright, see you when you get back, then. Bye!"

"C'ya!" Tristan called back enthusiastically before he hung up.

A dial tone reached Joey's ears. He sighed. "Yeah, c'ya," he muttered to the room.

A shift came from his right. Joey jumped, forgetting he wasn't the only person in the room. "You know, Tristan will find out, eventually, when he comes back."

Joey leaned back in his seat. "I know, but he can't help right now; so tellin' him will only make him worry."

"That's true," Yami hummed, the sound of clicking following immediately after as another piece slotted into place. Malik's words whirled around his head, and he found it hard to focus on anything else, but the puzzle. Bakura tolerated him, at best. Why would he be upset if Yami got hurt? It didn't make sense. Surely, the taller boy would be 100% on board in taking him out of the picture. Bakura saw him as a nuisance- he said so himself! So, why?

Shaking his head, he refocused on the puzzle. A grin spread across his face. Two more pieces to go! He reached in the box excitedly and took out the next piece. He had to twist and turn it until it clicked into place.

As he reached for the other, his hand trembled with trepidation. He couldn't believe it! After all these years, he had done the improbable. He had finally solved the millennium puzzle.

An intense heat spread through his hands as it slid into place, a white light bursting from the upside-down pyramid that quickly blinked the whole room and shown out of the window. Joey cursed, confused as he tried to blink the spots away. There was a scream and then a thump. His hand coming down once the light faded to see his friend hanging halfway off the sofa, fingers going lax as the puzzle thumped into his lap. Blood was slowly coming out of his ears, mouth, nose and from underneath his fingernails. Crimson-eyes dazed over as if his body was vacant.

Joey's scream tore through the air of the small apartment complex.

**TBC:**

* * *

**The puzzle has finally been solved, Yami is unconscious, Odion and Ishizu are back in Domino, and Marik has confused the heck out of people. **

**People, my work here is done!**


	5. Chapter 5:

**Notes:**

**Hello, and welcome to the newest chapter of this story. Sorry about the lateness of this chapter; my vision is slowly getting worse, and I needed to buy some new equipment to accommodate this change. Sadly, it only arrived last week and I had nothing ready for you guys. So, I apologize if this feels rushed or has any mistakes... It hasn't been BETA-ed.**

**If anyone is confused, I will more than happy to answer any comments or questions you may have in the next chapter, which should be out not next week, but the week after.**

**Chapter 5:**

A wind blew through the seemingly endless room, ruffling the teen's clothes and hair. Crimson eyes opened and blinked in surprise. Both regular and inverted staircases stared back at him; all of them lead to multiple indistinct doors. His mouth fell open, questions forming in his mind, although it never passed his lips.

Noticing that no words were going to make themselves known, he snapped his jaw shut before he frowned. The last thing he remembered Joey ending the phone call with Tristan, and then…?

Yami's lips pursed together as he thought. His eyes narrowed as if he concentrated hard enough, the memories would reveal themselves.

They didn't.

Sighing, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath before he tried to focus on finding out where he was and how he had gotten here. Surely, he wouldn't come here on his own. Heck, he didn't even know such a place existed until now! So, yeah, free-will was out of the question.

Kidnapped? Yeah, right. The place was empty… Or, he assumed it was? Regardless, he was unharmed and was left to roam. Unless they wanted him to starve inside this labyrinth... But, there again, what would be the point?

He glanced around for the cameras, although he found none. No twisted game show, then.

He groaned.

This was stupid. Standing here, theorizing was getting him nowhere. And fast. Straightening his back, he strode over to a nearby staircase and started to ascend it. He came to a door and reached out to turn the knob. He yelped as soon as his skin made contact with the object, stepping back.

Damn, that hurt.

It was as if an electric shock went up his arm. Had someone strapped a hand buzzer to the handle? He bent down, observing the knob from all angles, although he couldn't see any wires and nothing looked out of the ordinary. It looked just like a regular door, even if it was a bit worn.

He sighed, and then around, glancing over the countless staircases and doors before him. An image of a painting titled 'Crazy Stairs' filled his mind. He shook his head with a snort. Trust him to think about a painting he had read about that one time while he waited for his shift to end one afternoon in the museum, but not how he got here or where this was.

Kaiba was right. The mind did work in mysterious ways.

A shuffle of something fluttered behind him. He turned towards the direction, mind racing. His eyes widened as he came face to face with a figure dressed in purple robes before a sharp pain overwhelmed him and he knew no more.

* * *

Some people say that the passage of time is a linear constructed made up of cause and effects... That, as it passes, one could feel it. The wrinkles appearing on your skin, the gain and loss of weight, the bursts of growth before it eventually increases. The maturity of your body as puberty comes and fades like when Ra rises and then sets over the horizon.

The stages of life are a linear sequence, thought never to be interrupted… and, yet, the possibility has come to pass.

To my knowledge, I have never shown signs of growing, never aging. It is as if I existed outside of the laws of the lands outside. Out of reach of even the gods themselves. Completely cut off from the rest of the world. I don't know where I am or where I'm going. I never age or feel… just exist.

I had pondered countless times the point of this existence. Wondering my purpose within this bubble of shadows. Nothing ever penetrated these barriers of darkness. No air, or sound, nor light.

The shadows help sustain me. Entertain me. Protect me like a loving mother would do for their precious child. They spoke to me; told me stories of a boy who looks just like me and his adventures through the world. From his high and mighty cousin who pushed him to achieve the best he could, to the crazy best friends who were lost and just as lonely as him.

They talk of his passions for games and quests to find different civilizations across the lands. How he was fiercely loyal to his friends and his bravery was unmatched by nobles and peasants alike. Of his determination to complete a task granted impossible despite the odds.

It was a nice story that was ever developing as if the events were occurring presently. It was a nice distraction; a glimpse outside of the void I could never have otherwise. How I wished to be part of those stories.

Even though I didn't understand what some things such as cars, burgers or toilets were, I would listen intently and use the context around it to try and construct the image of the thing within my mind. It was a game I liked to play with myself during the times the shadows remained dormant and brooding. If only I could see the object for myself…

Suddenly, there was a subtle shift to the atmosphere withholding my prison. An almost hiss of excitement and anticipation rolled through the air. I gasped, not ready for the shock of emotion that penetrated my cocoon.

My sightless eyes blinked open, dull amethyst orbs useless in the dark. I felt the walls thin as shadows reached out towards an unknown source. Ebbing this unknown entity to come forward.

I flinched as a spike of pain shot through my hand. My eyes slid shut as I grasped my right hand with the other, trying to will the unexpected sensation away. After a millennium of not being able to feel anything, every single echo of a touch (intent harmful or comfort) sent jolts of pain through my system due to misuse.

A strange feeling, one that tugged at my heart, filled my chest. A steady pounding grew louder as something outside my bubble of existence drew nearer.

Something alien, something new.

With no warning, there was a searing light that flashed across my prison as a wave of energy pulsed from within my being. I felt it pulsing. Reaching out. Searching. Pain like no other serged through my body as my back arched, a horse scream echoed around the room. Before I knew it, the pain vanished as I embraced the darkness once more.

* * *

From the moment he walked through the doors of Domino Museum, Bakura instantly knew that something was wrong. He paused as a wave of uneasiness washed over him as he stepped over the threshold before hesitating in the doorway.

It was as if something was crawling under his skin, making him irritated and restless. His ears rang from an invisible buzzing only he was able to hear, causing a headache to form. His red-eyes darted around the lobby, taking in a quick sweep of his surroundings.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The museum had a small number of occupants scattered around the large entrance hall- the average amount of people for a Sunday. From what he could tell, no one was acting suspicious or out of place. He frowned, wondering what had set him off.

Marik stop, wincing a little as he straightened his injured leg to swing around to face his friend, although only a trained eye could notice such discomfort. From an early age, he had learned that he was a fast healer. He rarely got sick and he never trusted modern medicine. All those chemicals and medical terms just didn't settle right with him. Besides, his family preferred more 'traditional' terms to remedy such means.

"Bakura?" The taller teen's voice drowned through the buzzing in the aforementioned's ears, making his headache reduce a little. He held back the relieved sigh, stepping closer. Marik frowned. "Are you alright?"

Red-eyes turned focused on him, clearing a little. A hand gently pushed the younger man forward. "Move it, Ishtar," he snapped, knowing the boy wanted to see his family as soon as possible. Marik's face fell. He mentally slapped himself. He couldn't let his paranoia- his own fears- to ruin this moment. Marik deserved to have time to catch up with the members of his family that didn't despise his very existence.

Marik obeyed, striding towards the welcome desk to sign in. As he did, he glanced back one or two times at his friend, wondering what had unsettled the thief. He was unsatisfied with the response but knew it was best to wait until they were alone.

While the museum wasn't crowded, they weren't by their lonesome, either. Something had been bothering the albino since Yami had graced their doorway, bearing gifts and a plea for help. Normally, Bakura would have slammed the door in the tri-colored haired boy upon seeing that he had brought company, but something had stopped. Marik could tell. Something had rattled the slightly smaller boy, yet he kept up the facade for reputation's sake…

Sighing, he turned a corner… and jumped out of his skin when he came into contact with a semi-hard object. He reeled back, shocked, before finding his balance once again. Looking up, he stared at a tall man with tanned skin and black hair. Lavender eyes widened in delighted surprise, a smile spreading across his face.

Bakura's eyebrows rose as Marik flung himself at the stranger, nearly knocking them over, as tears gathered in his eyes.

"Marik…" The strange man blinked, taken aback before arms tentatively reached up to hug the teenager close. A dazed expression quickly being replaced by that of relief (with a hint of concern).

There were many things that made Bakura uneasy. Overly friendly people, churches, police, the oven (although, that may have been his fault. Who would have known chocolate would explode like that if someone left the cake in too long?) but never museums.

Bakura was always a fan of history and relished in the past. It was the one place he could to where he could go and express his opinions without someone wanting to punch him in the face. After all, dead people couldn't answer you back. The change was welcoming after being shunned and discriminated against for the new distant demeanor he'd adopted after his parent's death.

Frustrated, he sighed, running a hand through his hair as he sighed. This couldn't be a regular sickness- it was too sudden for that, and felt different from anything he had felt before. Anxiety or a panic attack? It couldn't be because Marik was nearby. Marik was safe on the other side of that flimsy door, surrounded by his family. Marik was his anchor, his safety net for when things got unbearable... He shook his head. It had to be something else.

Although, some of the symptoms were similar. But, there was also a pull almost coming from inside him, like a tug of some sort. It was hard to notice before, but, as he paced, going right would always make him feel disoriented and dizzy, while right makes it him feel like he was pushed forward. It gave him the impression of a strong gust of wind trying to push him in one direction. Sensing this, he chose to follow it, in hopes that it would stop if he appeased the invisible tug.

When he was a kid, he used to believe in the supernatural and was always told to go with his gut feeling. Adults would tell him that he would grow out of it; he guessed that he never did.

He got up from the uncomfortable visitor chair, head traveling to the direction of the locked door to the Ishzu's temporary office. The three Ishtar siblings had gone in moments ago, whispering in Egyptian to each other. He had decided to give them some space, waiting outside for his friend to get his affairs- and emotions- in order.

That and, well, he had no idea what they hell they were talking about- not that it was any of his business… He couldn't help, but be curious about it. He had picked up some Egyptian over the past year and a half of knowing the boy, although he was no match for people who have the language as their mother tongue.

He paced for a few minutes, finding the movement to help despite some of the unexpected energy, although it did little to calm his nerves. Agitation swirled to life within him as he scratched at his lower left arm, hoping to make the 'ich' bearable. It did little to help.

It was as if something was calling out to him, tugging on his senses like a consistent child demanding his attention. Bakura wished it truly was, only so he can snap at the brat for them to leave him alone.

He grunted as another hard tug occurred. His vision swam within mid-step, legs going weak, as he overbalanced and tumbled to the floor. He moaned on impact, feeling his chest compress against the marble floor.

Quickly, he shook his head, put his arms near his head and pushed against the floor. Once stood, he swayed slightly, before righting himself. He swung around, eyes narrowing, although he found himself standing in an empty corridor still.

Without warning, the lights within the hallway began to flicker uncontrollably. This latest a few minutes, before it settled into a rhythmic pattern as they each flashed one by one as if an invisible force was turning one on and off again before moving onto the next one. Bakura watched with wide eyes as the pattern seemed to repeat itself; starting back to where he was standing to the end of the hallway before bouncing back again. He looked behind him but noticed the other side of the corridor had gone dark. A sense of confusion and panic started to settle in the pit of his stomach as his head snapped between the two.

"Ma…"

He gulped, finding himself unable to get the right word out, before trying again. Taking a shaky breath, he prepared himself. He attempted the name once more.

"Marik!"

**TBC:**


End file.
